Anxiety is a very common condition and it’s likely that you’ll experience symptoms at various points throughout your life.
It’s natural to feel anxious in certain circumstances, of course, but if your anxiety starts to become overwhelming and begins to affect how you live your life on a regular basis, it could be a good idea to consider seeking medical advice so you can regain control and learn some coping mechanisms to help you stay centred.
One of the most immediate ways of helping you when you are feeling anxious is to focus on your breathing. Because breathing is such a natural action, we often don’t even think about it as we go about our business… but the next time your anxiety starts to manifest itself, try to zero in on what it does to your breath.
You’ll likely find that your breathing is faster and you’re taking more shallow breaths, which means you’ll be struggling to take in the air you need. Deep or diaphragmatic breathing works to calm your nervous system, reducing your stress and anxiety levels by triggering your parasympathetic responses and helping you to relax.
The good news is that it’s easy to start practising deep breathing. All you need to do is find somewhere quiet where you can sit quietly and start turning your attention to your breath.
Focus on driving the breath down into your belly and start taking longer breaths, counting to four on both the inhalation and the exhalation. It may not be particularly comfortable at first but you’ll soon get to grips with it and you’ll soon start to feel your body relax.
As with anything, the more you do it the better you’ll get at it so try to commit to practising for a few minutes each day. The next time your anxiety rears its ugly head, you can put your new skills to the test.
Considering hypnotherapy for social anxiety? Get in touch with the Clear Physio team to see how we can help.